The labor battle between the MLB owners and the MLB Players Association is at a stalemate. With December 1 fast approaching, MLB is on track for a lockout as the current collective bargaining agreement expires. Progress has been essentially none, with the owners wanting a salary cap and the players’ union vehemently protesting. And if the disagreement leads to a work stoppage, then the President of the United States, Donald Trump, would intervene and settle the matter.

“I would do it if it were appropriate. I would certainly do it if I could. I mean, I settled eight wars, and I had nothing to do with most of them,” the POTUS told Clay Travis, per Front Office Sports.

“…Yeah, baseball looks like it could have a strike. And if it does, that would be too bad. There’s tremendous — if you look at sports, I’ve watched sports all my life. It seems that the baseball players and the owners do least well. Although I think the players have done well. But there always seems to be — they don’t work it out the same way as other sports. So if I could help, I’d love to help.”

As Trump mentioned, Major League Baseball works differently than any other sports league in the United States. NHL, NBA, and NFL all operate under a salary cap system, while MLB is an exception. The only restrictive measure MLB has in place is the luxury tax, but it functions differently than a salary cap and floor.

For instance, the owners have proposed a salary cap of $245.3 million and a floor of $171.2 million for the 2027 season. Thus, all MLB teams’ payrolls must fall within that bracket if the salary cap system is implemented. In the case of the luxury tax or the competitive balance tax, teams with payrolls exceeding $244 million in 2026 must pay their calculated tax penalty and face restrictions on draft picks and international signing bonus money. For the 2026 season, the high-spending Los Angeles Dodgers would reportedly have to pay a whopping $180 million luxury tax.

However, if the owners are able to successfully implement a salary cap and floor for the 2027 season, the luxury tax will no longer exist. While the players’ association is against the salary cap system, the owners are strongly pushing for it. The union has called it a ploy for the owners to earn more money while depriving the players. The union has also warned the league of a work stoppage if the owners do not concede.

The last time the owners really pushed for a salary cap, a 232-day strike ensued in the 1994-1995 season. It lasted from August 12, 1994, to April 2, 1995, and the ’94 World Series was cancelled. The next season was shortened to 144 games.

The existing CBA was settled in 2022 following a lockout by the owners. It lasted 99 days and delayed the start of the 2022 season.

As another potential work stoppage looms over MLB, there is a possibility that President Trump might intervene to settle the CBA negotiations. If Trump intervenes, it might not be ideal for the players’ union, as the President spoke in favor of the salary cap back in June.

“If you don’t have a salary cap, you don’t have a sport,” Trump told Outkick’s Dan Zaksheske. “They had a chance to implement one a long time ago, but they blew it.”

However, whether the President has changed his mind since then remains unknown.

The CBA negotiation battle so far

Major League Baseball was the first American professional sports league to introduce the CBA. Pioneered by Marvin Miller, the first CBA was introduced in 1968. Since then, every CBA negotiation from 1972 to 1994 ended in either a strike or a lockout by the owners. However, a period of stability followed after the 232-day strike in the 1994-1995 season and lasted until the lockout in 2022.

This year, the negotiations started early to prevent a similar outcome. However, the owners and the union have been unable to reach an agreement, with the salary cap and floor being the biggest points of contention. That rift got wider after the owners’ latest proposal in late August pushed for set timelines for when teams can and cannot sign players. They have already expressed the desire to set limits on free agency contracts in previous proposals.  They want to limit contracts between a player and his new club to five years and $202 million. However, if a player stays with his current club, his contract can extend to six years and $265 million. 

In the latest proposal, the owners pushed for a smaller, three-week window for free-agent signings. Instead of securing deals throughout the offseason, it will be similar to the NFL’s offseason transaction frenzy under the new system.

The owners also want to extend the dead period until the first day of the Winter Meetings in December, until 12 p.m. ET on the Monday. Currently, the dead period lasts from right after the World Series to 5 PM ET on the fifth day after the World Series ends.

Under the extended dead period, players can negotiate, but teams cannot confirm deals. However, trades can still happen.

Furthermore, the owners have also proposed a revised timeline for free agency signings. Teams can sign free agents from the Monday when the Winter Meetings begin until December 21. Then, it will reopen on the first Monday of February before the start of Spring Training. No action will happen during the window in between.

The MLBPA called it an attempt at turning back the clock on “fundamental player rights.”

As the two parties remain at a stalemate, a work stoppage appears more and more likely, and President Trump might just intervene.